BOSTON — Well here’s Exhibit A why the NHL should just give up with suspending players until it has created an outright ban against hits to the head, and why the NHLPA has to get more involved in the education process if it wants to preserve the brains of its members.

Vancouver defenseman Aaron Rome, who will always be as infamous in Boston as Ulf Samuelsson after he ended Nathan Horton’s season with a hit to the head, spoke with some assembled media at TD Garden today after the Canucks practiced in preparation for tomorrow night’s Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. While not every member of the media was alerted to Rome’s first availability since the Game 3 hit, his comments have been widely distributed since.

Rome was suspended four games for a hit that caused a severe concussion to Horton. So he’s now sitting out a ban that has cost him his lifelong dream of playing for the Stanley Cup. Yet, here’s what he had to say about the play in question:

“If I could go back, I’d wish he didn’t get hurt but I don’t think it would change my decision on the play,” said Rome. “I’ve got to step up and be physical, that’s part of my game. It’s just unfortunate.”

Rome could’ve easily said something like “I wish I hadn’t hit him in the head” or “I’ve got to be careful not to hit him in the head.” After all, the 6-foot-1 could have avoided a blow to the upright, 6-2 Horton’s head. Instead, Rome is falling back on the old messages of wishing Horton wasn’t hurt, but putting a little blame on Horton — like many victims of headshots before him — for not keeping his head up.

“There has to be some accountability on the part of the player skating with the puck up the middle of the ice — maybe with his head down not looking,” said Rome. “If it’s half a second earlier, a quarter of a second earlier, I’m not in this situation.

“But the game happens fast and, for me, I’ve got to play on the edge and I guess that time it a little bit over the edge.”

Playing on or over the edge for Rome means he’ll still be able to go out on the ice with the Stanley Cup if Vancouver wins. It means that he probably won’t have any health problems when he shows up to training camp next spring. Horton? Well who knows?

It’s been pointed out that Rome was the victim of a questionable hit in the Western Conference Final from Jamie McGinn. The play caused a concussion that Rome recovered from in time to return to action. One would think that would make him more sensitive to these issues. Instead he’s just spewing out the old “caveman” cliches about keeping ones head up and needing to always play physical. “I wish he wasn’t hurt.” Sounds like something a fourth-grader would say after throwing a rock at someone’s head.

Horton, meanwhile, doesn’t get to the play in the Final. And as we know, his future is questionable for now. Marc Savard once looked over his concussion problems and then showed up at training camp last fall and couldn’t do any activity. These things are always a crap shoot.

There’s been a debate raging for years over what the proper punishment for a hit like Rome’s should be. Many even thought the four-game ban, especially considering the time of year, was too harsh. I say, enough with the bans. Instead lets make anyone guilty of a blow to the head live his life as though he has a concussion. No talking on the phone, no television, just sitting in a dark room with very little food or human interaction. In Rome’s case, that might not have worked because he already knew what recovering from a concussion entailed. But maybe it would teach some other guys a lesson.

The one thing I would’ve liked to have seen from Rome is an apology. By most accounts, this is a “good guy” who wouldn’t intend to injure. But you do a search for the word “sorry” in the stories using his comments and it never shows up. The guy doesn’t even have the decency to apologize for the hit. All he’s really worried about is the ban he received and the fact that if he was a half-second quicker he’d still be playing.

The Bruins and Canucks have built up quite a bit of hate for one another over the course of this series. At the end of the day, though, they’re all still human beings, still just hockey players, and some of these guys might even be inter-team friends.

It wouldn’t have killed Rome to be apologetic about a hit that not only altered a Cup Final series but altered a career. One of these days a hit like Rome’s, however, might kill unless everyone gets more serious about shots to the head.

Winning is defined by scoreboard not all the off-ice stuff.As I have said before both teams are just as guilty.Despicable- hate to play against yes. Same could said both ways. Lucic obvious homer. Marchand got some some skill. Recchi, been through the wars.All have stuff they have done in the past. The past is neither team has one if for 40 years. One team will change all this. You hope for yours. Me Canucks. I would still respect the B’s if they won. Why because they won. Don’t like em but won’t resort to saying winning 16 games because of cheezy play. There is a high road, watcha gonna do?

Steamer – you defend all these actions by trying to draw comparisons to the Bs actions. But they are not the same. Look no further than public opinion my friend. The hockey world is cringing at the thought of Vancouver winning. Yes, they are up 3-2, but that’s not my point. My point is about character and about winning the right way. Vancouver is just simply hard to root for and I’d argue that most Canucks fans root for them and defend them simply b/c they are the home town team. They are like the Pistons of the Lambeer/Rodman days – A team only a homer could like. I bring up the Canadiens b/c they are from the same cut of cloth.

Sorry Steamy – everyone in hockey sees it but Vancouver fans, and no one understands how someone could actually Root for such a dispicable cast of characters.

If you played on this team, would you really want to win by playing such a cheezy game. Not me – I wouldn’t want most of those guys as teammates. I think most are in my camp on that one.

The day Lapierre isn’t diving is a rare day indeed. If he honestly gets fouled I still find it hard to believe because it happens so rarely.
Gotta say, For all the shit he gets, I can’t recall watching Chara intentionally injure someone. Even the Pacioretty hit was blown out of proportion by habs fans and the media. It’s horrible he came so close to the end of his career, but that had more to do with board safety and unfortunate pinching placement.
Rome should be ashamed of his shameless remarks. Well-wishing for someone’s safety and being sorry that you caused it is something any good person should be prepared to do whether or not the opposing player is ready to accept. One of the few credits I give Randy Jones, the guy who ended Bergeron’s season a few years back, is that he was still apologetic about the hit, even though Bergeron never replied to his personal outreach. That Rome reacts this way is telling of him as a person. He should have a hard time finding work on a good, classy team (s0 he might find it easy in Canada).
Burrows curls his leg around Lucic and then fall down effectively tripping himself, which is a dive. I have NO idea why there was even a penalty of Lucic! Burrows is a dirty player who apparently has a taste for blood, but (again, surprisingly) not serious injury. What a tool that guy is.

Nick, it was more like 4 days…and he still had a fractured neck but hey, who needs to be accurate when you can just be a liar?
If you’re going to say 2 days, why not just tell your buddies that he left the rink and went straight to the theatre?
Oh wait, since we’re lying, why not just say Chara had nothing to do with it and the kid jumped into the stanchion? I’d go with that one next time since most people here will just lap it up anyway.

Euro soccer trash? Why are you talking about the Habs again? No self respect ? Ummm we are up 3-2.
Enough said… Call us what you want, you see what you want, I see what I want. Thats the freakin Cup. No series games is without controversy or media roll-out. Vancouver fans throwing stuff at Lucic Grandparents. Classless and I hope that real Vancouver fans said something to them during the game . Burrows fingergate… You see it one way, I see it another. Lapierre taunting… Well in the replay he did it for a couple of seconds… Lucic did it for the same amount. Both stupid.Horton hit by Rome. Rome will not play in the final. He was made an example of. He got what he deserved. The most stiff penalty ever in Stanley Cup History. Hopefully the NHL keeps this up and doesn’t judge based on injury or time of year. Horton will be ok? How’s Pacheretti doing?
Oh yeah what else you got ‘ the sisters” these guys are class acts outside of hockey… In the game they take crap from you guys night after night. A hack is a hack in hockey…

What I will say is this has been a hell of series. Momentum hits, controversy.. 3 1-goal games. Win or lose I am a hockey fan. If Boston can win 2 games kudos to them. If Vancouver wins tonight or next game , don’t be a sore loser and say ” we would have won if”, that guy should play soccer”

Let’s stick to hockey boys. We all know what classless arrogant assholes the fans of [insert any NHL team] are, lets stick to the hockey talk and ignore these trolls.
onto Rome:
Suspend the POS 5o games and maybe he’ll get the lesson. Clearly 4 games in the SCF didnt send the message. If i am the nhl and want to be taken seriously, I’m not letting this guy anywhere near a rink for a while. He is an absolute assclown

Can you imagine now nervous the Canucks and their fans will be before Game #7? As I’ve said before, they were lucky to win each of the three games at home. Each game could have gone either way. Their luck will run out in Game #7. They have nothing to gloat about with a finger-biter, assassin, actor, and twin sisters on their team. I’m really getting sick of them and their fans. Good riddance.

I love all the posting/whining/hate from the Canuck and Habs fans. The jealousy from the Habs fans is palpable, and you can sense the fear in the Vancouver fans, as they know what will happen Wednesday night in their own arena, but of course after we destroy your team none of you will be here, just like your sissy team.

Chara takes more abuse than any player in the league. He’s a big target and every lap dog and yard dog want to show that they’re not afraid of him. I can’t believe some of the crap the guy takes. This has been going on for years and I’m not seeing things. Everyone wants to be David. No one wants to be Goliath. Who feels sorry for a good athlete six foot nine? I do.

The guy left his feet and projected the entire force of the impact to Horton’s upper fifth of his body. No intent to injure? Are you kidding me? He tried to clean his clock and got exactly the result he was intending.

How can anyone with a straight face say he wasn’t intending to injure?!

Nick, anything is possible. The bruins are strong at home and Vancouver seems more fragile mentally than Boston.
Lapierre is a legit NHL player. You might not like his antics but he delivers solid physical play every night, takes hits every night too. He’s a terrible fighter, don’t expect to see him drop the gloves.

I’ve heard “unfortunate” “hockey play” far too often.
Chara, Rome are the same to me. Not necessarily bad guys but not able to fully accept responsibility for their actions either.
Richards, Cooke, Scott Stevens and maybe Torres are a whole different animal. Not only do they not accept responsibility, but I think they enjoy knocking guys out.

I love how all these Nucks/Habs fans have been polluting our blogs lately.
Let’s flip the play in question around and have Thornton line up one of the Sedin sisters in that way or even someone like Kesler(who would be more of a loss even hurt imo).

What are you guys going to say then?

As others have said, we love to see the stars on the ice, not wonder if they have a career left.

p.s. I’ve never buried my head in my hands as much as I did to see such a fraud of a player like Lapierre put in the winning goal. If that doesn’t get the Bruins hate meter going for the rest of the series, nothing will. I just hope it was a setup for the “Peak” in our season.

Do you really think LaPierre ran into Chara’s jab/spear. Honestly you can say that? I am baffled if you are… I think it goes to show how smart a play that was… Didn’t dive yet doubled over in pain to show Chara for what he is always doing. Extra stickwork.Extra slash, little jab

The funny thing was Chara looked like he was surprised the Lapierre didn’t go down> Classic.

Tripping over a stick at faceoff. Wow, guess putting your stick in between someones legs is what I saw..

(Canucksfan)” What about the hundreds of hits, slashes, digs and whatnot the Bruins are getting on the Canucks?”

First of all, newsflash: hits are legal in hockey

Second, the slashes, digs, etc are done by all teams and are even in this series.

Third, and significantly, the fakes, dives, acting, knocking the goalies stick out of his hands, tripping yourself over a stick at a face off, and running into a stick of a player coasting after the whistle, all designed to mock the game and draw a penalty through fakery, are undefensible.

I’m glad that at least you are avoiding that topic instead of trying to defend your team’s pathetic behavior. You will not win the Cup playing this way. Hope you pay a lot of money to get into Rogers Center Wed night and get to see Chara hoist the hardware. Give him a nice cheer, will ya?

Yeah you’re right TCL. How many people buy a ticket to see Rome play? If people just wanted to watch hockey they’d go to their local rinks. There’s a reason some teams draw well. I want to see star players play too. We all know you have to play them tough. That goes at every level.

Comparing the max hit to this is just wrong. Max saw Chara. He had options to protect himself. He’s not the type of player to pull the chute so there’s going to be contact. Horton had zero chance to protect himself. You have to trust other players to some degree or no one will make or take a pass. It might as well be rugby. Although in rugby tripping is a serious offence and you’re ejected immediately.

Nifty that’s just it-Horton had passed the puck and was looking to join the play in the offensive zone-he had skated almost 3 full strides before the hit was made and Rome didn’t even move in to commit to the hit until after Horton dished the puck.

This really does come down to players respecting each other and trying to balance a solid hit with injuring a player. Sometimes a hit does just go wrong-I think the hits on Bergeron (slightly late but not illegally so IMO) and the one by Hunwick on Savard were pretty much good plays gone wrong.

I do think the league is going to have to penalize hits to the head period-front or blindside. I wonder if going the route though of a double minor for any hit to the head, and more severe (majors and games) where injuries occur wouldn’t do more to control the hits than letting the league decide after the fact on suspensions. I also am not sure I like the idea of automatic suspensions and the one imperfect I can see in a “no hits to head” period is what happens when big players hit smaller players-their shoulders are often already at head height even if they don’t leave their feet and make a clean hit.

Something for the league to tweak. But the sport can’t continue to see its best players injured.

A defenseman could put a forward out in any game on any day. You could argue the guy had the puck in warmups so it was a little late. Hitting an unsuspecting player is tough hockey? No it’s cowardly hockey. Anybody could crush someone not looking. HE DIDN’T HAVE HIS HEAD DOWN. WATCH THE TAPE MORONS.

Damn hypocrite. Didnt even mention Chara in this article, but did mention Savard even though the hit was alot older. If Rome is dirty, Chara is a mass murderer. Look up PIM and see alot of Bruins way up there. I hope the Canucks destroy you.

Ya GR90, and Rome reached out to Horton by texting him right away also. For all we know he apologized in the text. Just Horton hasn’t shown any class yet to respond to the text where as Pacioretty was classy enough to listen to the big goof Chara. And by texting Horton right away, Rome actually showed some concern where as Chara ran and hid in the team bus after his incident and didn’t take any responsibility for his actions the next day as he was placing the blame for the injury on Max. Go cry over Horton to your mom, it doesn’t look good to do it here on this site.

Honestly, being from one city and supporting your team is one thing; but trying to call out the fans in another city is pretty silly. Let’s be serious… shitty people exist all over the world. There are shitty Bruins fans, There are shitty Canucks fans.

As fans, it’s easy to forget that we’re all living vicariously through our team; yet when our team is insulted, we often feel personally insulted because we have invested ourselves emotionally. It’s only a game. To the people who bitterly argue to no end with an opposing fan base: you’re doing nothing but frustrating yourself and infuriating the other person.

So to you Vancouver trolls who think the Bruins are “goons” and that the fans suck, please realize that your words have zero meaning. Regardless of what happens, one fan base will exit this series joyfully, and the other not so much. Just watch and enjoy, and remember that being a belligerent asshole is a characteristic that lasts long after hockey season ends.

Wow, I wish you Bruins would stop crying like a bunch of preschoolers. You are all upset that Rome didn’t apologize. Do any of you remember Chara apologizing for his dirtier hit to Pacioretty. You whining about poor Horton not having the chance to play in the finals. What about Pacioretty having his chance to play in the playoffs taken away from him by Chara. You guys wouldn’t have gotten by Montreal if they had Pacioretty playing so quit your crying. It was so nice that Rome gave Boston a taste of their own medicine. Live by the sword die by the sword. My goodness.

Please dont respond to these vancouver pieces of sh*t. Their team is nothing but eurotrash. They are not deserving of your attention. Just ignore them, and then sit back and wait for the look on their faces after the Bs win game seven in their barn.

Corey and Canucksfan, you are arguing against straw men. The little digs and slashes happen in every hockey game, the only thing that’s different is how the Canucks react to it. With so much crying wolf no wonder the refs are hesitant to call penalties on borderline plays by Bs

The hit was actually just under a 1/2 second late. Sorry, I know you guys on here aren’t interested in facts. You can paint the horrific picture of Nathan Horton spending the rest of his life in a darkened room, enduring painful headaches in eternal silence if you want to. But yet another fact is that The Province columnist Ed Willes talked to Horton in the Boston area while he was out walking with his wife and kids during the day. I know that makes it a little less of a Hollywood story, sorry about that. Since there’s only a couple days left at most in this series, Horton probably won’t be back, but I would be surprised if he’s not back for training camp.

this is really a sad indictment of an organization. They should have apologized, whether they thought the hit was clean or not. It still about human beings and Horton had NO control of being in this series. What a bafoon Rome is. I don’t for a sec buy that good guy routine if he is not willing to say two words…”I’,m sorry

Right, so he made one big mistake. What about the hundreds of hits, slashes, digs and whatnot the Bruins are getting on the Canucks? You Bruins fans are irritating to the biggest degree, whine, whine, whine and you say Canucks fans do that. Fans from every team do.
Not condoning the hit, it was a hard hit, he’s been suspended. What happened to Chara when he hit Pacioretti? NOTHING so suck it up Bruins.

I agree that there needs to be more accountability to the person commiting the act but to compare what Samuelson did to Neely is outright unfair! That was a blatant Knee on Knee with full intent to injure. Rome’s hit on Horton was a hockey play according to Mike Murphy. The suspension was harsh but based upon the injury as opposed to the act. I played hockey right to Junior B and the main thing the Coaches/Trainers taught us was to keep your head up. Don’t admire your pass.

To add to this, Rome has attempted to contact, via text, Nathan Horton and has to yet to receive any thing in return. Not even an acknowledgement of receipt of said texts.

I like what you have to say with regard to consistency as it pertains to discipline for such hits. One thought that I had and shared with local sports radio was that the punishment should directly correlate with the action in that a suspension would equal to or greater than the average length of recovery for the injury sustained.